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Gregg Giannotti: ‘No Way in Hell’ New York Jets Do Not Get Flexed Out of Prime Time

“If they don’t start flexing out all of these Jets games, I would be shocked.”

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New York Jets
Courtesy: National Football League

Prior to the start of the NFL season, the New York Jets were placed in the maximum six prime-time game slots and featured on the NFL Films and HBO Sports original series, Hard Knocks, largely due to the acquisition of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Now that Rodgers is likely out for the season recovering from a torn left Achilles, major television networks could be looking to move the Jets out of prime time positioning to a regular Sunday game slot on CBS or FOX. The Jets will be featured on Sunday Night Football on NBC this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, and will then have four more appearances across ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime Video.

Flex scheduling can be used twice between Week 5 and 10, and at the discretion of the league during Week 11 until Week 17, as per previously agreed upon rules for Sunday Night Football. The Walt Disney Company’s Monday Night Football property can be used twice by the NFL from Week 12 to Week 17, marking the first time the property has had such an ability. Additionally, Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video can be used up to two times between Weeks 13 and 17. Out of the Jets four remaining games in prime time, flex scheduling can be used three times. One of those occurrences would be for the league’s first Black Friday game on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 when they face the Miami Dolphins.

“This prime time situation – if they don’t start flexing out all of these Jets games, I would be shocked,” Gregg Giannotti said Wednesday morning on WFAN. “There is no way in hell that some of these prime-time games that the Jets have coming up later in the season are actually going to stay there.”

Giannotti’s co-host, Boomer Esiason, implored him to wait and see what happens with the season rather than jumping to conclusions. “Gang Green” currently sits at 1-2 and are considered underdogs against Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I know what you’re doing – you don’t believe in Zach [Wilson]; I know that,” Esiason explained, “and you don’t believe their defense is good enough to win some games for them, which it obviously is. Depending on what week you’re looking at will determine whether or not they’re flexed.”

The show then proceeded to take a call as they searched the rules for flex scheduling, honing in on the Jets’ matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Nov. 12 as a possibility. Since that game is in Week 9 and on Sunday Night Football, there is a possibility that NBC Sports may opt to change that game out for a more favorable matchup. The league will make the announcement no later than 12 days before kickoff pertaining to if the game has been moved or not.

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KNBR’s Brian Murphy Speaks for First Time After Paul McCaffrey Laid Off

“Paulie Mac is my guy, will forever be my guy. The best thing I could ever wish anyone is that you get to work with someone as loyal, energetic, funny, consistent as the guy his Jersey buddies call ‘Smack’.”

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A photo of Paul McCaffrey and Brian Murphy
(Photo: KNBR)

Earlier this week, KNBR underwent a round of layoffs, affecting a pair of programs on the Bay Area sports station, including the departure of longtime morning host Paul McCaffrey. His longtime partner — Brian Murphy — has taken to X to share his thoughts.

In a thread to X, Murphy shared his admiration for McCaffrey, whom he hosted Murph and Mac with for 18 years.

“Paulie Mac is my guy, will forever be my guy. The best thing I could ever wish anyone is that you get to work with someone as loyal, energetic, funny, consistent as the guy his Jersey buddies call ‘Smack’,” wrote Murphy. “So much love.”

He then shared that everything listeners and fans of the program have shared on social media has been read by the duo, and thanked them for the outpouring of love and support.

Finally, Murphy addressed his future. Fill-in host Dieter Kurtenbach shared on Thursday he did not have a definitive answer about Murphy’s future with the Cumulus-owned station.

However, Brian Murphy has shared he will return to the airwaves on Monday morning.

“I’ll be back Monday morning on KNBR with our guy Markus (Waterboy) Boucher,” Murphy wrote. “Come on. It’s Niners-Eagles. Wouldn’t miss it. As Paulie Mac’s board itself would say: The show goes on.”

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Mike Mulligan: Sports Radio is More Difficult Than Other Formats Think

He shared that he has worked with people on morning shows that he has seen come to a station fully hungover who play music and proceed to sit on the couch.

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Mike Mulligan
Courtesy: Illinois Entertainer

On Friday morning’s edition of Mully & Haugh on 670 The Score in Chicago, co-host Mike Mulligan outlined the difference with music radio that hosts are not continuously talking to the audience, instead taking mic breaks and then interspersing commentary with different songs.

Filling in for David Haugh on Friday’s edition of the program was Gabe Ramirez, who used to work in the format with B96 as the host of its morning show. Mulligan’s assertion about the differences between the two formats resulted in a conversation about the differences between the grenres, with Ramirez explaining the difficulties that music radio hosts face on the air.

“The music station’s still creating content,” Ramirez said. “You get to have a guest – since I am going to defend my music stations – you get to have a guest and toss them a softball question and listen to them rant for five minutes.”

Mulligan disagreed with this perspective, conveying that he does not feel their program provides guests with easy questions. Additionally, he shared that he has worked with people on morning shows that he has seen come to a station fully hungover who play music and proceed to sit on the couch.

“As a former sportswriter, we sit around and we talk about sports,” Mulligan said. “We talk about the sports we cover and we talk about other sports.”

“You have to talk about Justin Fields seven days in a row,” Ramirez replied. “As a morning show for music, you have to come up with new content every day.”

Rather than taking umbrage towards the response, Mike Mulligan explained that the key to effectively performing his job is being able to discuss important stories of the day even when they are not the headlines. Furthermore, he expounded on the commitment that it takes to watch the amount of sporting events and to be properly informed on the action so he is able to take the air.

“That I will agree with,” Ramirez said. “I’ve told people this – they ask me, ‘What’s the biggest difference?’ The prep, without question, is way more difficult in sports radio because everyone that’s listening to you already knows the answers and you have to be equally if not more informed in all of those things.”

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Minnesota Twins Set to Tab Cory Provus as New TV Voice, Kris Atteberry as Lead Radio Announcer

Provus has been the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins since 2012.

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Minnesota Twins

After Dick Bremer exited the Minnesota Twins TV booth in October, the search began for his replacement. The MLB franchise didn’t have to look far, though.

Twins radio voice Cory Provus is reportedly set to become the new TV play-by-play broadcaster for the club, according to a report from Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Provus has been the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins since 2012. Many immediately tabbed him as the club’s replacement for Bremer, who retired after 40 seasons as the lead television voice of the American League club. Before joining the team in 2012, Provus worked for the Milwaukee Brewers as the number two broadcaster after spending two seasons as the radio pregame host for the Chicago Cubs.

Meanwhile, Kris Atteberry has been signaled as the person set to replace Provus inside the franchise’s radio booth. He has served as the pregame and postgame host for the Minnesota Twins Radio Network since 2007. Atteberry joined the club after spending five years calling games for the then-Independent St. Paul Saints from 2002-2006.

While the television and radio broadcast crews appear set, questions remain about where the team will televise its games in 2024. The club’s contract with Bally Sports North has reportedly expired, and it has yet to sign an agreement with the bankruptcy-laden RSN, or with a local over-the-air television station.

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